UO Book Club: Writing Tips With @jamie_windust
This month we caught up with Jamie Windust @jamie_windust, Author of In Their Shoes and Contributing Editor at Gay Times to find out their top tips for WFH, writing a book and being a freelance creative.
How do you manage your work as a freelancer?
Routine is imperative to creating a manageable life as a freelancer. That doesn’t have to mean you have to be busy all the time, far from it. I’ve realised over the past year that setting a routine for your day, including all the mundane activities and long lunches and baths is crucial to creating that work life balance, because as a freelancer that’s where the lines can blur very visibly.
What’s been your WFH routine?
Working from home has been different, but something that has allowed me to really focus on what I need to do day to day without distraction. I rise at 7am, allow myself to ease into the day and then take myself out for a morning walk and coffee just to again ease into the moment of the day. Long lunches are definitely on the menu for the day's agenda because it takes me away from my laptop for an appropriate amount of time. Afternoons I always try to include something fun, casual and mundane like a food shop, tinkle on the piano, run around the flat with Radio 2 on. Just something that exerts energy and is silly.
Where do you go for inspiration?
It’s been difficult in the past 12 months to find inspiration, especially as a writer and content creator, but our digital and social sites have really shown how people adapt to their surroundings and I have found that very inspirational. Take the theatre industry, the way they’ve adapted to the Pandemic has been nothing short of astronomical, so seeing people navigate their way through hardship and obstacles has been a moment of inspiration for me.
How to pitch a successful idea?
Cutting the waffle is important. Editors are busy, and it’s important to really just knuckle down and think, ‘What do I want them to know instantly?’. One thing I used to forget to include in pitches is why I was the right person to write that piece. It’s especially important in the literary world when pitching book proposals’ because a lot of the time editors want to know why you are the person to write this, and not a staff writer. What is it about your experience in life that means you have the eye to really delve into the pitch you’re proposing?
Top tips for staying creative… allow social media to inspire you, but delete it off your phone when it gets too much or overwhelming. Don’t get competitive. We are all in unique and independent positions and we can’t judge what others are doing and compare it to our lives because it’s not realistic. We aren’t all on the same path, and that’s ok. Follow your gut, not the gut of your editor.
Routine is imperative to creating a manageable life as a freelancer. That doesn’t have to mean you have to be busy all the time, far from it. I’ve realised over the past year that setting a routine for your day, including all the mundane activities and long lunches and baths is crucial to creating that work life balance, because as a freelancer that’s where the lines can blur very visibly.
What’s been your WFH routine?
Working from home has been different, but something that has allowed me to really focus on what I need to do day to day without distraction. I rise at 7am, allow myself to ease into the day and then take myself out for a morning walk and coffee just to again ease into the moment of the day. Long lunches are definitely on the menu for the day's agenda because it takes me away from my laptop for an appropriate amount of time. Afternoons I always try to include something fun, casual and mundane like a food shop, tinkle on the piano, run around the flat with Radio 2 on. Just something that exerts energy and is silly.
Where do you go for inspiration?
It’s been difficult in the past 12 months to find inspiration, especially as a writer and content creator, but our digital and social sites have really shown how people adapt to their surroundings and I have found that very inspirational. Take the theatre industry, the way they’ve adapted to the Pandemic has been nothing short of astronomical, so seeing people navigate their way through hardship and obstacles has been a moment of inspiration for me.
How to pitch a successful idea?
Cutting the waffle is important. Editors are busy, and it’s important to really just knuckle down and think, ‘What do I want them to know instantly?’. One thing I used to forget to include in pitches is why I was the right person to write that piece. It’s especially important in the literary world when pitching book proposals’ because a lot of the time editors want to know why you are the person to write this, and not a staff writer. What is it about your experience in life that means you have the eye to really delve into the pitch you’re proposing?
Top tips for staying creative… allow social media to inspire you, but delete it off your phone when it gets too much or overwhelming. Don’t get competitive. We are all in unique and independent positions and we can’t judge what others are doing and compare it to our lives because it’s not realistic. We aren’t all on the same path, and that’s ok. Follow your gut, not the gut of your editor.
Top tips for new writers… don’t let yourself be manipulated by Editors or agents into just sharing your trauma and prejudicial focused lived experience, especially if you’re a marginalised voice. Allow them to see the breadth and depth of what you have to offer, not just your pain. We can learn from joy too as consumers of media.
What’s your desk set up?
Flowers, got to be a vase on the table otherwise you’re just not being queer. Always a cup of tea adjacent to the laptop, potentially one behind it in reserve for when you’ve finished the first one. Windows open, BBC Radio 2 on 24/7.
What is the best creative advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t let people tell you how to share your story, share your story so you can tell it correctly.
Any thoughts on book number two?
I’m currently in development for book two and it’s great to be able to take the pressure off myself when it comes to writing about my personal experiences. I don’t need to do that because I did it with In Their Shoes. Equally, it’s good to apply the pressure in the style that I would like to write book two in. It’s going to be more journalistic and expansive, diving into a topic very close to my heart.
A recent book you couldn’t put down… This Book Will Make You Kinder by Henry James Garrett @henryjgarrett.
Favourite book of all time?
Diary of a Drag Queen by Crystal Rasmussen.
3 creatives you’d like to spotlight:
Allie Daniel @thealliedaniel
Tom Aspaul @tom_aspaul
Shahira @afroglory_
What’s your desk set up?
Flowers, got to be a vase on the table otherwise you’re just not being queer. Always a cup of tea adjacent to the laptop, potentially one behind it in reserve for when you’ve finished the first one. Windows open, BBC Radio 2 on 24/7.
What is the best creative advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t let people tell you how to share your story, share your story so you can tell it correctly.
Any thoughts on book number two?
I’m currently in development for book two and it’s great to be able to take the pressure off myself when it comes to writing about my personal experiences. I don’t need to do that because I did it with In Their Shoes. Equally, it’s good to apply the pressure in the style that I would like to write book two in. It’s going to be more journalistic and expansive, diving into a topic very close to my heart.
A recent book you couldn’t put down… This Book Will Make You Kinder by Henry James Garrett @henryjgarrett.
Favourite book of all time?
Diary of a Drag Queen by Crystal Rasmussen.
3 creatives you’d like to spotlight:
Allie Daniel @thealliedaniel
Tom Aspaul @tom_aspaul
Shahira @afroglory_